Legacy of Light
by Kitt Chaos
Summary: FFIV. Rejected by the Lunarians, Golbez sought to end his life in the cold of space. Fusoya had another idea, sending the ship to crash-land on the Blue Planet. Cecil, and new allies, must help his older brother discover his inner light. AU, char death.
1. Chapter 1

**Legacy of Light**

**A Final Fantasy IV fan fiction**

Disclaimer - Final Fantasy IV, all of its characters, situations, and utter awesomeness are the property of Square Enix. This fan fiction merely shows my continuing affection and appreciation for one of the most enjoyable RPG stories of all time.

Summary - Light and darkness cast aloft once more! Rejected by the Lunarians who fear he carries the taint of Zemus, Golbez sought to end his life in the cold reaches of space. Fusoya, his uncle, had another idea, and sent his craft to crash-land on the Blue Planet. Cecil, along with unexpected allies, must now strive to teach his older brother his worth, and help him to discover his inner light. AU, character death.

Author's note - This is an amalgam of official information from the early version of the game for the SNES known as FFII, a partial play-through of the current version of the game on the Nintendo DS known as FFIV, a very cursory look at the FFIV: The After Years information on the web, the beginnings of playing Dissidia: Final Fantasy on the PSP, and watching various cut-scenes from pretty much all the games on-line. Some of it is wildly non-canonical so this story is classified as alternate universe. Please bear with me as some of the chapters are mostly prose, to impart a lot of information quickly. Perhaps, if there is inspiration, I will go back and write short stories fleshing out the action detailed here, but for now, to focus on the heart of the story, I am describing the action, instead of showing it. It's best to think of these parts of the story like the chunks of text that appear in many RPGs that advance the game without bogging down the central action.

**Part One**

**Chapter One – Kluya – Descending Light**

"It is decided."

Kluya and Zemus waited to hear the decree of the Lunarian Council, each hoping his suggestion had won favor over his rival's.

"It is not reasonable to expect us to hide and constrain our natural abilities merely because the more primitive people of the Blue Planet will fear them." Kluya's shoulders slumped. He had hoped to help the people of the Blue Planet advance with the skills the Lunarians could bring to them. Right now people of the planet below were dying from illnesses that the Lunarians had conquered long ago. Even the simplest of his White Magic spells would ease untold suffering. His heart ached a little, for the people he'd only glimpsed through long range viewing and scrying. If they were freed of some of the trials they faced, would they not advance more quickly to the point where the contact between the two peoples would be beneficial to all? The Lunarians needed a new home world after their own had been destroyed. Perhaps the restless wandering on this artificial moon had taken its toll on his people's natural compassion.

"But, it is even more unreasonable to expect us to destroy these people simply to make room for us so we can claim the Blue Planet as our new home world." Zemus turned and glared at his rival. Kluya had not been worried that the Council would seriously entertain this suggestion of Zemus'. Their compassion might have suffered from the eons of wandering, but they had not become heartless monsters. Not yet.

"Both suggestions are rejected. The Council has decided we will remain here, in orbit around the Blue Planet..."

"But, that's ridiculous! Why not use our power to seize what we need? They are primitives, after all – not worthy of possessing such a perfect world!" Zemus exploded.

"It is_ their _planet, Zemus. It is not right for us to take it from them," Kluya replied.

"That is the position of the Council, as well. But it is not right to expect us, and our children, and perhaps our children's children to live out our lives on that planet suppressing and hiding our abilities, either."

Kluya dropped his head. "I understand, Elder." Inwardly he lamented the loss of life that would be suffered by those of the Blue Planet, with the Lunarians waiting and withholding their superior magical and technological skills.

"Some of us understand your desire to help, Kluya, but it is the decree of the Lunarian Council that all Lunarians enter stasis until such time as the people of the planet below are advanced enough to co-exist with us peacefully."

"No! This is intolerable! Why should we sleep away our years waiting for those muck-dwelling worms to advance to our level? It could be eons! I won't stand for this!" Zemus shouted. He wheeled on Kluya. "This is all your fault! If you hadn't discovered those maggots on the surface, we would have claimed it as our own!" Zemus raised a hand crackling with eldritch power and regarded Kluya with hostile intent.

"Restrain him," one of the Elders commanded wearily. Two guards trapped Zemus in an inertia field. "Zemus, your actions and attitude seriously distress us. We..."

"I will _never_ accept this, and I will fight you every step of the way," Zemus growled.

"I was afraid of that," one Lunarian Elder stepped forward from the midst of the Council. "It is apparent that one of us will have to remain awake and keep watch. The machinery is excellent, of course, but it would be best to have one of us active to oversee everything. Zemus' wrath is formidable, giving him great strength – strength enough to go against the will of the Lunarians. Observe." Zemus indeed managed to break free of the passive grip of the restraining field. "Hold!" The Elder called out, catching his fellow Lunarian by surprise with the spell. "With the Council's permission, I will remain outside of stasis to keep watch over all during the great sleep."

"B-but, Fusoya, you will be cut off from the great Lunarian mind if you do that!" Another Elder stated. "To be active, alone – it is a harsh fate, one you do not deserve."

"But one that must be accepted, to ensure everyone's safety. Zemus even now tries to break my spell. His determination cannot be underestimated. In fact, I suggest we place him at the core of the Lunarian mind, and hope that many years of companionship with his gentler brethren will temper this distressing darkness within him."

"Many years..." Kluya said softly, to himself. Still, Fusoya heard him.

"Brother, is your heart inclined that strongly toward these primitive people?" Fusoya asked. "You've never met them, only observed them from afar."

"I can't explain it, Fusoya, but yes. Something there calls to me. I wish – I wish to help them, somehow. I know there's not much a single person can do, but if I can help even one of them, perhaps they will advance a little faster toward that time when we can let them know of our existence. Without harming them," Kluya told his brother fervently.

Fusoya's eyes glowed softly, indicating that he was in mental touch with the rest of the Lunarian Council. After only a moment the blue glow lessened, leaving a softly prideful gleam in its wake. "You have always possessed a light-filled, gentle heart, my brother. Go, with the Council's blessings, to the Blue Planet. We have no need to oversee you, for we know you will do no harm to either the people struggling below, or to us. I will miss you, Kluya. It could well be that we will never meet on this side of the Light again, but I cannot hold you here with my selfish wish to not lose you."

It hit Kluya then. He would leave behind his people and his heritage, and perhaps never see them again. He would have to live out his span of days on the Blue Planet if he left. It wasn't likely that the people of that planet would advance enough for the Lunarians to reveal their existence to them during his life-span – and he would never see his people, or his brother, again. But...

"Brother," Kluya lifted his troubled gaze to meet Fusoya's eyes. "I am torn. I do not wish to abandon our people, or especially you, but..."

"Kluya, there is a light within you brighter than that of most Lunarians. I have always sensed it. It is this inward light that is pulling you now. I hope, someday, to see you again, but, if not, I know that you never abandoned me, or our people. You followed your light. Perhaps, with your gentle guidance, the people of the Blue Planet will advance more quickly toward that time where we may meet them without fear."

Kluya's eyes were still troubled. Zemus cast off Fusoya's Hold spell, and rushed toward him. "Bah! Useless talk and feckless old men! I will not go calmly into stasis while this one gets to roam about as he pleases. I will kill him with my bare hands, first, then I will slay those worthless worms of the planet below! Talk is for old men, and action is for..."

Kluya calmly and without malice stunned Zemus with a blow to his solar plexus and dropped him into unconsciousness with a chop to the back of his head. "Forgive me for conducting violence in your presence, Elders, but I have heard enough of his hate-filled ranting to last me a lifetime."

"No need to worry, Kluya," one of the Elders spoke up. "We fear it is the only language he understands. Perhaps the time of stasis sharing in the great collective Lunarian mind will show him the error of his ways. Fusoya, this matter has been decided. We will retire, and leave the final preparations to you."

Fusoya bowed slightly as his fellow Elders left the Council Chamber. "Three days, Kluya. It will take that long to get the generators ready for the great sleep."

* * *

In the end, Kluya couldn't deny the light welling within him. It was with great regret he took his leave of his brother, his people, and their temporary world, but with an equally great anticipation he watched as the Blue Planet swelled to fill the screen before him. He hoped that the crystal shard Fusoya had placed on the ship would permit him to communicate with his brother, once he landed the great Lunar Whale on the Blue Planet. He would be lonely, without his brother, but he would soon be surrounded by the people of the Blue Planet. His brother, now that the stasis sleep held the rest of the Lunarian race in its dream-filled, implacable embrace, had no one.

He was greatly relieved that the contact had not been broken once he made planet-fall. Fusoya had the foresight to twin a smaller shard from the great control crystal, one small enough for Kluya to wear as a pendant. The two-way mental contact with his older brother comforted Kluya during those early days exploring the Blue Planet. Later, Kluya made certain to contact Fusoya to share with him the events of his day, each and every day, to help alleviate the boredom of the burden his older brother had taken upon himself. Fusoya appreciated the thoughtfulness and generosity of his brother, and shared vicariously in his adventures.

Fusoya advised his brother as he made his first contacts, pretending to be a traveler from a far country. Kluya worried that it was a falsehood, but Fusoya pointed out, rightly so, that it was quite true. Kluya had to agree with that, and even laughed a bit, that his homeland was much further away than anyone, even those becoming his friends, realized.

It was during these first few years that Kluya met and joined a band of adventurers. One of them, a gifted warrior named Baron, seemed to be the leader. Valyre was able to summon creatures to fight for him in battle. Jerika's haunting flute music did wonders for her comrades, and created chaos for her foes. Cythen was very short and stocky, befitting a dwarf from the Underworld, but no one looked down on him. His mastery with his hammer was second to none, as was his skill with repairing their equipment, or crafting new items entirely when inspired.

Kluya was grateful to be accepted so readily, and not only used his magic unstintingly for these new allies, but did his best to teach them some of the spells, too. Only Cythen was unable to learn any magic, but he professed he didn't care. He was taken with running questing fingers over Kluya's weaponry whenever time between battles permitted, declaring it filled with an energy he could sense, but not understand.

In one early battle, Kluya was shocked to recognize one of the summoned creatures as Cobalt the Blue Dragon, an Eidolon he knew from this planet's second moon that served as the Lunarians' temporary home world. After that battle, before the summoner's magic released Cobalt, Kluya heard/felt words in his mind, in the same voice he'd heard during a trip Fusoya had taken him when they were both much younger to the Eidolon's cave.

_Son of the moon, keep my secret, as I will keep yours._

Kluya did, but pondered what it meant, and discussed it at length with his brother. Perhaps–perhaps the people of the Blue Planet were more advanced than the Lunarians had given them credit for, that some of them were able to summon Eidolons from the moon to aid them. Both knew the Eidolons were a proud and discerning race and only someone worthy would be granted the ability Valyre wielded.

"It is not the one or two, or even handful of people who are peace-loving enough to forge such bonds that we measure the advancement of the people of the Blue Planet against, my brother. It is the totality of the people who must be ready to accept us," Fusoya noted.

It was only after they had shared many adventures together, facing monsters in battle, and helping people along their way that the adventurers trusted each other with their most closely-held secrets. Valyre admitted that his life was now tied to that of his favorite and most easily summoned creature, Cobalt. If Cobalt ever died, he would, too. Cythen hung his head in shame when he admitted to feeling as if the world would collapse on him and crush him whenever he was in his Underworld home. Jerika told them that she had no memory of who she was prior to finding herself in a bed in an inn with nothing but the clothes on her back, the flute in her hand, and the name she used in her mind. Her hope was that it was _her_ name, and someday someone would recognize it, and tell her who she was. "Baron" was none other than the crown prince of the country of the same name. Kluya hesitated to reveal his hidden truth to his friends, but in the end, urged by his brother, did so.

Valyre, Jerika, and Cythen regarded him quizzically for only a moment, then nodded. Something had always seemed a bit 'unworldly' about him, and his explanation fit. Baron alone was flabbergasted, assuming that his secret was the greater one than that held by his modest friend. He demanded that Kluya tell him everything he could about the society he'd left behind, and the advanced wonders the Lunarians took for commonplace.

After they had stopped adventuring, and returned to their far-flung homes, Kluya decided to stay with Baron. Once Baron assumed the throne of his kingdom, he wanted to name Kluya as one of his advisors, but, ever humble, Kluya declined.

Instead, he followed his heart, and taught magic to any who showed aptitude and cared to learn it. His joy when one of his pupils mastered a new spell was boundless. King Baron, as he kept his adventuring name as his throne name, invited any and all of Kluya's acolytes into the new White and Black Magic Schools within the castle. Not content to share his gift with only one group of people, Kluya would leave for months at a time, often seeking out their former adventuring friends to see how they were faring, though he always returned to Baron. His friends always welcomed him whenever his wanderings brought him to them, but King Baron was always relieved when Kluya's wanderings brought him back 'home'.

During one of his wanderings, Kluya happened upon the innately magical people of one of the smaller continents. He had landed his ship there, intrigued by the shape of their landmass, for it resembled a dragon, and discovered the higher than normal magical potential of the people living there. One of the people of this area pulled first his gaze, then his attention, and finally his heart. Her name was Cecilia.

Cecilia became one of Kluya's first pupils in Mysidia, learning the crafting of White Magic. Her natural aptitude was so strong that she developed White Magic spells unknown to Kluya. Her progress made his heart sing – first because he was falling in love with her, but also because she had learned something he hadn't taught her. He took it as another sign that the people of the Blue Planet were closer to advancing enough to meet with the Lunarians than the Council of Elders thought – perhaps during his lifetime.

He used one of the spells Cecilia taught _him_, Teleport, and the technology found on his ship, to craft the Serpent Road connecting Baron and Mysidia. He had kept his space-faring ship a secret from everyone except Baron and Cecilia. Fusoya suggested that it seemed wisest to hide the Lunar Whale lest curious eyes catch a glimpse of it. He cautioned Kluya that advancing rapidly in magic did not mean than the people were ready for the highly advanced technology of his ship – or that of the Lunarians themselves – aside from the few Crystals that Kluya had, with his brother's knowledge and blessing, situated around his adopted world.

In fact, Fusoya was so insistent upon secrecy that Kluya was not permitted to tell anyone where he'd hidden his ship, or leave any sort of a record of it – at least not openly. After Kluya had submerged his ship in its resting place, but before he triggered the transport to the surface, Fusoya asked him to place his blade against the master crystal. A brilliant flash blinded Kluya when he did so. After his eyes recovered, he noticed the words inscribed upon the blade of his sword.

_Birthed from womb of Dragon's maw_  
_And borne unto the stars_  
_By light and darkness cast aloft_  
_Are dreamtide oaths resworn_  
_Moon is swathed in ever-light_  
_Ne'er again to know eclipse_  
_Earth, with hallow'ed bounty reconciled_

_Yet fleeting is the reverie_  
_When moon from shadow has egressed_  
_Guided forth anew by light made manifest_

_Two bound by ties of blood_  
_By Time and Fate when wrest apart_  
_Unto lunar light and Gaian breast_

"What myth is this you've engraved upon my blade, my brother? A poem you wrote of our separation from each other and the meeting of our people with the people of Earth?"

"I suppose it is, at that. But, no. It came to me in a dream – one I fear might be prophetic. I sense a deeper meaning to the words of the myth. It speaks of us, truly, with me on the moon and you on the Blue Planet, but... I think it speaks of others, too. I – worry, when I ponder the words. They seem positive on the surface, but, underneath, I think there might be suffering to be overcome, first. I fear that suffering – is yours, Kluya. You could always use the power of the crystal to return here before that suffering happens, brother."

Kluya pondered for many long moments. "My heart is still here, Fusoya, with the people of this planet. Even with the little I've been able to teach them, they have done so much! These people of Mysidia, their capacity for magic is so great – nearly as great as a Lunarian. And they are innately peaceful, too. If I stay, and help them, and the others, perhaps the time of dreaming for our people will be shortened, and you and I can meet again, in person, here on the surface of the Blue Planet, a place where we Lunarians might be welcome and permitted to make our new home."

"I suppose your feelings for the winsome Cecilia have no say in this matter?" Fusoya teased.

"Brother! Of course, she... That is, I... Uhm..."

"Peace, Kluya. If your heart twines with hers, know that you have my blessing. She must be quite something to have tamed a wanderlusting dragon such as yourself."

"Dragon?"

"Do you not even know the meaning of your own name, brother? Perhaps it never came up. 'Kluya' is an ancient word meaning 'dragon' in Lunarian."

Kluya had reason to rely on his brother's calm but unseen presence in the years that followed. After a time of supreme happiness with Cecilia as his wife, and the overwhelming joy of welcoming his son into the world, he lost her while she struggled to give birth to their second son. She used the last of her strength, and the will of her magic, to cure the dying child even as she gave birth to him. Kluya couldn't bear to give a name to the ultimate White Magic spell she crafted to channel all his curing magic aimed at her into their newborn son – though in his mind he named it 'Cecilia's Love'. Ensuring the survival of her child was more important to her than her own life. He missed her intensely, but couldn't fault his infant son for her loss. He named the boy Cecil, after his mother, and resolved to tell him how much she had loved him, when the child was old enough to understand.

Theodor, his eldest son, was a different matter. He hated his brother for killing his mother. It was easy to see the pure light in Cecil as he started to grow, but just as easy to see the gathering darkness in his brother. Kluya was careful to treat each of his sons equally, but Theodor wanted all of his attention. He often demanded for his father to 'get rid of that mother-killer', and refused to call his brother by his name – hating that it sounded so much like his mother's name.

"How can you not love the child your mother loved so much?" Kluya asked Theodor in sorrowing wonder.

"How can you bear to look at the mewling maggot that cost Mother her life? You must not have loved Mother much at all, Father."

"That's not true, my son."

Theodor's hatred reached a peak when Cecil was four. The younger boy just wanted to follow his brother around, and be just like him. For all the hatred Theodor sent Cecil's way, the youngster adored his older brother. Not welcoming the attention, Theodor struck Cecil.

Kluya responded instantly to the note of terror and pain in his youngest son's cry. He stopped in shock at the scene before him. Theodor still held the iron poker over his head, aiming another strike at his brother. Cecil curled in a ball of agony from the stab wound in his shoulder, but stared up at his brother with large, betrayed eyes. He wailed when he saw his father, and dashed into Kluya's protective arms.

_How could I have been so blind? How could I let it get this bad?_ Kluya chided himself even as he comforted the boy, and used his strongest curing magic to heal his grievous wound. While he was tending his youngest child, Theodor skulked away. _I know what I must do._

He waited until Cecil, worn out from the attack and the aftermath, dropped off to sleep. He gathered his sleeping son in his arms, and made his way to Baron Castle. His friend Baron listened, and agreed to take charge of the boy for as long as Kluya needed. Truth be told, Cecil was liked by pretty much everyone, except his own brother. Kluya worried that Cecil had been traumatized by the attack, and when he woke and found both father and brother gone he might panic, but Baron reassured him that he'd take care of Cecil. There were other children in the castle, after all, and Kluya was not taking into account the resilience of youth. Cecil would be fine in Baron's care, freeing Kluya up to take care of his other son – the one in crisis. Reminded of his duty to his other son, Kluya nodded and left.

Kluya knew where he would find the boy. Theodor hadn't run away from him quite so much as run to his mother – so he was at her grave. Kluya could tell that Theodor feared what he would do as he approached, knowing that he had done something very wrong in attacking his brother.

"I miss her, too," Kluya said as he knelt next to his son at his wife's grave. He placed a gentle hand on the boy's back.

"I miss her so much, Dad," Theodor whispered. "And it is all _that one's_ fault. There are words, dark words, inside of me. I wonder – if I kill him, would she come back? Would I be able to trade his life for Mother's?"

"There is no magic, either Black or White, that would permit that, my son." Kluya was appalled at his son's suggestion, but had to mask his revulsion of the idea. He reminded himself that he loved his son, he just shunned the darkness inside the boy. "And your mother would not permit it, if there were a magic that did. We can talk about it, and many other things. You and I are going on a journey."

"A journey, Father?" Theodor's eyes filled with a happy gleam at the idea. Kluya watched, and could tell the moment the thought of his hated younger brother crossed his son's mind. "What of _that one_?"

"He will remain here. This is a journey for just the two of us – a father, and his oldest son."

Theodor was happy with that thought. He was happy to have his father's attention all to himself. His happiness dimmed when they had discussions. His expression grew hard when his father began to tutor him in anything other than Black Magic and fighting skills. The gentler lessons fell on deaf ears, and Theodor finally declared White Magic to be a waste of magical energy.

Kluya wondered when his son had become so twisted by darkness. Against Fusoya's advice, he expended a great amount of his magical and spiritual energy to raise a mystical structure at the peak of the mountain where he was training with his son. Kluya hoped that his Sanctuary of Light, with its truth-reflecting mirrored hall, could do what he was failing to do – show Theodor the darkness taking control of his soul.

Alas, Theodor never saw the inside of the Sanctuary. The darkness welling within his very soul surged forward and washed away his consciousness. When he became aware again, he was standing over his father's body with blood on his hands. The initial spurt of horror springing from his heart was overtaken by a fierce feeling of satisfaction. He gazed down at his dead father, then threw back his head, and laughed.

Theodor was no more.

Golbez was born.

* * *

Author's note –

Obviously I haven't played up to the point in the DS remake where the details of Kluya's death and Cecil's earliest years are revealed. I hope that you will please forgive me for this and other departures from the FFIV canon and perhaps enjoy this story as an alternate universe look at canon events.

The poem in italics, etched into the Mythgraven Blade, is quoted directly from the Final Fantasy Wikipedia (and presumably the game, though I did not check when I played through that part).

Next Chapter: Chapter Two – Zemus – Rising Darkness


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two – Zemus – Rising Darkness**

Zemus regarded his position with a guarded satisfaction. While his body was still trapped by those weak-willed fools on the moon, his mind had quested, beyond the reach of the great Lunarian uni-mind and their useless dreams. He had sought for years, looking for one who echoed his own darkness enough for him to synchronize with. He knew his will was strong. Was he not even now throwing off the shackles of 'peace' and 'good-will' those useless Lunarians wanted him to be subjected to? He had no doubt that he would be able to take control, no matter the physical distance, of one who contained the same nature of darkness that filled his very being.

He had hoped to find a warrior, or a person of some power, perhaps political might, among the worms on the planet below to serve as his puppet. He had never intended to possess a child – but the tang of darkness in the child's soul was so – so – delicious he couldn't help but become enamored of it. Thanks to the Lunarian Sleep, he had time. Time to wait for this child to grow, and time to mold the man he would become into the perfect vessel for his master's will. Perhaps he should have sought for a child to become his perfect instrument from the beginning. He wouldn't have to expend effort convincing one he possessed since childhood to do whatever he needed him to do as he might have to with an adult. There would be no useless morality or weak sentimentality creating problems.

Things had worked out for the best. He used his will and influence to insidiously subsume everything within this chosen worm that was useless to him. 'Theodor'. Feh. A weak, useless name – and one that was tied to warm and familial feelings. That wouldn't do. This instrument needed to be honed to an irresistible edge of sharpness – one that could not show any sort of sympathy or weakness.

'Golbez'. A worm birthed in the womb of a dragon's corpse. Yes. 'Kluya' meant dragon, did it not? It filled him with wrath that Kluya was free to go about spawning children while he was kept prisoner by their people. Fitting to take the half-breed offspring of his hated enemy and turn him to his own ends. He'd fight his way free of his impotent imprisonment with Kluya's own misbegotten progeny. Golbez. A name of ultimate irony, crowning his success over his rival.

Still, the dragon's worm-get was still a child, and helpless in this world. After possessing the child to slay Kluya, the boy's own father, Zemus could, and did, force the child to channel his Black Magic into attacks when needed. Such energy taxed not only Zemus' mind, controlling such powerful forces over such a long distance, but damaged the vessel, too. It wouldn't do to burn the child out before it even had a chance to grow up and become truly useful. No. Zemus needed to get this worm some allies. Strong allies, and soon.

Besides, it was never too soon to start consolidating his power while he waited for the vessel to grow up. He had plans, very far-reaching ones, and even though his body was trapped, he could still further them. There were other mentalities, not as advanced as Kluya's brat, that he controlled, and raw materials to build with. He still needed to cleanse this perfect planet of its human scum. A tower. A tower of destruction that he could control from the moon. It was here, in the tower he named 'Babil' where he amassed the powerful forces he wielded through Golbez, dreaming of the day he could activate the tower and watch as it perfectly fulfilled his will, and scraped the planet clean of the worms infesting it.

So much for teaching him the 'softness' and 'gentleness' of the Lunarian people by forcing him into stasis with them. He had always been mentally stronger than any of them. It took no effort on his part to conceal his unexpectedly active mental state, his plans, or his dreams from the pacifists who mistakenly thought him helplessly bound in the sleep of stasis. Certainly, he dreamed. But, his were evil dreams, that not only gave him dark hope and pleasure during his helpless confinement, but spelled the doom of those living on the planet below.

Ironic that he had Kluya to thank for giving him this perfect vessel to oversee his will. Golbez. If Kluya weren't already dead, Zemus might actually thank his annoying nemesis. In his hands, Golbez would become the worst threat the world below had ever seen – and then he would snuff their miserable lives out. He dreamed of the day he could walk the surface of the planet in his own body, instead of pulling the mental strings of his puppet. Perhaps, once Kluya's son had outlived his usefulness, he'd kill Golbez with his own hands. Perhaps not.

Zemus, even held in the stasis of the Lunarian Sleep, smiled.

* * *

Author's note –

Do you kind of get the idea that Zemus is rather mad and very, very evil?

The next few chapters are short, like this one, since they take place during the game, which I'm assuming everyone has played.

Next chapter: Chapter Three – Baron – Shadowed Destiny


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three – Baron – Shadowed Destiny**

Knowing that Kluya had meant to help his son, Theodor, and then return to collect Cecil, Baron became worried as time passed. He traveled to the mountain, discovered the Sanctuary of Light, and was permitted inside. There, he heard the truth of what had happened and accepted Kluya's plea that he protect and raise Cecil in Kluya's place. Kluya warned that many ordeals faced them all – including Baron. He cautioned Baron against telling Cecil what had happened while Cecil was so young, as hatred for his brother could well warp the youngster's light. It was with a heavy heart that Baron returned home.

His heart became heavier as time went on. It was obvious that Cecil, though he enjoyed the company of his friends, Kain and Rosa, and held a level of affection for Baron himself, missed his father and brother. He started to pine for them and his health suffered. Unable to tell the boy what had happened because of his promise to Kluya, Baron wasn't certain what to do. The advanced study halls of both White and Black magic weren't able to come up with anything to help the child. Baron recalled the events that had finalized his course of action.

Guardsmen had hauled all three youngsters before him in his throne room. Kain had kicked Cecil in the shins in his frustration at trying to pull the boy from his moping enough to play. The blond boy glared at his friend with angry lines marring his face, even as he blushed for being brought before the king in such a sorry fashion. Little Rosa just stared at Cecil with giant tears welling in her eyes. She looked at her king with such a mute appeal in those eyes that Baron was relieved when the girl recalled her manners and broke the heart-wrenching gaze when she dropped her head while curtsying to him.

Cecil, for his part, didn't even seem to notice anything of what was going on around him. It didn't seem to register to the boy that he had been brought to the throne room or was in the king's presence. He just stared into the distance with blank, unfocused eyes while wearing an expression that the king could only think of as distressed.

_Is his grief that deep?_ Baron wondered.

"What's on your mind, boy?" he asked softly, not expecting a response.

"My father, and my brother, Your Majesty. Where are they? When can I go home? I-I miss them. It's been so long. I-I-I just want to go home!" Cecil wrapped his arms around his shoulders, threw himself to the marble floor, and started crying. It was unnerving how he didn't make a sound, even though he was weeping wildly.

"What brought this on?"

"It was–" Rosa gulped and stopped as she suddenly found herself the target of the king's gaze.

"No, child, go on. I need to know."

"His birthday. Yesterday. Kain and I threw him a party. We just wanted to cheer him up, but it seems to have made him even sadder!" Rosa shook her head and dashed the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.

"He's making Rosa cry!" Kain balled his hands into fists and glared at Cecil. "How can he ever be a man if he makes girls cry?"

If not for the true pathos of the situation, the king would have grinned. Kain's father had been a valued and respected member of his court, and the boy's brash attitude delighted the king for it so reminded him of Kain's father. Come to think of it, the boy was what – five – six years old? It was time to start his training – just as he promised the boy's father.

The king pushed his musings aside to ponder the problem at hand. To his distinct surprise, Cecil had uncurled from his sorrow and was even now apologizing to Rosa for making her cry. The king had to give the child credit. He did try, over the next few days, to behave as everyone expected him to, forcing smiles, playing with his friends, and acting like a normal little boy. But, warned by the true grief he had witnessed in his throne room, Baron watched his charge carefully and saw the signs that all was not well with Cecil.

A week later Baron was alerted by the guardsman he had assigned to surreptitiously watch and report Cecil's activities that the child had left his room after midnight and taken to the castle heights. "What troubles you, my boy?" Baron skirted around the pool in the battlement garden, and leaned on the rail next to Cecil. The youngster immediately straightened, to offer a bow, until Baron's casual gesture interrupted him. "Right now I don't wish to be your liege – rather, your friend. Why are you out here instead of sleeping?"

"Look." Cecil pointed toward the twin full moons. "Is it strange that I feel sad, but comforted, whenever I look at them? It's like they want to come nearer, but can't, and so they spill their gentle light over all the land. That is – I don't feel so alone – whenever I look at them."

"Are you upset that Kain has started his dragoon training and isn't around to play as much?"

A brief smile touched Cecil's face. "No, it's all he's wanted ever since I first met him." The joy was short-lived and the smile faded.

"And you? How can you do well in your training as a page, the first step to becoming a knight, if you don't get any sleep? Or, do you no longer want to be my page?"

"No, it's not that, Your Majesty! I'm–I'm happy that out of everyone you picked me for the honor, it's just..."

"Just what?" Baron pressed.

"Wasn't Father just taking Theodor on a training session? It's been so long, more than a year, and... Have they forgotten me? My big brother was so upset at me." Baron had to lean forward to catch Cecil's next words. "Have they-have they left me behind, on purpose – forever?"

Baron pondered. Trapped by his vow to Kluya, he couldn't tell Cecil the truth of the matter. But, the uncertainty was weighing so heavily on the youngster's mind it was not only holding him back, but adversely affecting his health. Cecil wasn't eating properly. Evidently, he wasn't sleeping well, either. The distractions provided by his friends weren't enough, neither was the promise of training for knighthood.

"I don't like you out here this late at night, Cecil. Tomorrow, we will move your things to the West Tower, so that you can see the moons from your bedroom window," Baron decided.

"Sire!"

Baron smiled at Cecil's delight in the idea. "It is just as well; the king's page needs a place of his own. Promise me that you will apply yourself to your training, try not to worry too much, and there is no reason you have to stay in the barracks." The king winked. "They have tiny windows that face the wrong way to see the moons, if I remember aright."

The move, the training, and the new duties did help – for a while. But Baron could tell that, even though Cecil applied himself diligently to his training, diligently enough to earn the rank of squire in record time, that his heart wasn't in it. It didn't escape the king's notice that his squire was too thin, and that dark circles rimmed his eyes more often than not. Distractions, training, and talking were not addressing Cecil's basic problem – his worry about his father and brother. Unwilling to break his promise to the spirit of his friend, but unable to stand by and watch Kluya's son destroy himself with worry, Baron didn't know what to do.

He finally consulted one of his friends from his old adventuring days, Valyre. The summoner had settled in a small, nearby town called Mist. After thinking about it, Valyre mentioned something about a very rare Eidolon that might have the power to help – but, permission had to be obtained from the King and Queen of the Eidolons first. Baron decided they should try. Since the situation directly affected Kluya's son, they thought to use the remote area in front of Kluya's Sanctuary of Light to make contact with the Eidolon royals and ask their request.

They summoned the Eidolon herald, and formally requested Leviathan and Ashura's kindly attention and regard. The Eidolon King and Queen did not deign to leave the Land of Eidolons, but permitted Baron to speak with them through mystic means. He explained his concern about Cecil and asked if the king and queen could do anything to help. They warned about the dangers of using the power of this particular Eidolon, but granted Valyre the ability to summon Lethe – just once. They laid a price on Baron for this help since this would be the last time Lethe could ever be summoned. In exchange for losing one of their own, as Lethe was very old and the strain of using magic in the human world would bring about the natural end of the Eidolon's life, when Baron died, his soul was theirs in exchange for this help now.

Kluya witnessed everything, as Baron intended, and felt dismay. He would be losing Cecil as he had already lost Theodor, but it was in the boy's best interest. The next day, Cecil accompanied Baron to the summit of the mountain.

"I've brought you here to talk with your father," Baron told the child. It pained him to see how thin the boy had become. That, and the dullness in the boy's eyes, had worried him to the point of trying this mad thing.

"Father? Where is he?" Cecil turned his head this way and that, trying to figure out where his father was. "Is Theodor here, too? Is he okay?"

Baron didn't answer in words. He took the child by the hand and led him to the low stone structure that served as the mystic portal into the Sanctuary of Light. He waited a moment, in case Kluya wanted him there, but then stepped back. As soon as he did, motes of light sparkled all around Cecil, and he disappeared.

Several minutes passed. Baron wasn't worried about Cecil, for he was right where he wanted to be, in his father's care. He hoped that Kluya was likewise comforted by the chance to speak, even if for a final time, to the son he never intended to leave all alone in the world.

"Go, my friend. Please bring Valyre back with you. It pains me, deeply, to do this to my son, but now that I see him, and have had a chance to speak with him, I agree that your plan is the only course of action open to us, now. If I had known..." Kluya's voice was thickened by unspoken regret.

"If you had known, you still would have done as you did, to try to save your other son," Baron said in an attempt to comfort. "You have entrusted Cecil to me. Even if I have to resort to such unconventional means, I will always take care of him, and do my best to raise him to be the kind, upright man his father has always been."

"Go, please. I will take care of Cecil while you are gone. There is so much to say, and so little time."

Baron wondered about that. "You do realize he will forget everything..."

"I-I know." Kluya's reply was low. "It is a pointless and futile action, for Cecil will never be permitted to remember it. But even if only for the few minutes it takes you to accompany Valyre from the base to the summit of this mountain, I want Cecil to know that his father never abandoned him, never intended to orphan him, and still, to this very day, loves him very much."

Baron realized that Kluya needed to say these things to his son, even knowing that Cecil would forget them. He couldn't help but think of the events that had led them all to such a sad conclusion.

"I am still trying to find any trace of Theodor," Baron said.

"I still love Theodor, too," Kluya's spirit replied quietly. "If you do find him, please, do not harm him. Bring him here, I might be able to help my poor boy throw off the darkness obscuring his soul. At least – that is my hope."

"We can discuss that later. For now, I won't hurry. Valyre and I will take our time returning." Baron turned and started down the path. He turned. "Oh, and Kluya – Cecil will never want for any boon or benefit that a–a foster father can give him. Not as long as I live."

"Thank you, my friend."

* * *

"Will it hurt?" Cecil's blue eyes were wide with sorrow and fear. Baron didn't think that Kluya had told Cecil their conversation within the Sanctuary of Light would be their last, but he was remarkably astute for a five year old child. He had figured it out. "Father told me to mind you, but then he said it wouldn't matter." Cecil offered as an explanation. "I asked why, and he said I was going to lose my memory. I don't think he meant to tell me that part. He seemed so sad, I didn't want to trouble him with questions – but I worry that it might hurt."

Baron had never been given to displays of affection, but there was something about Cecil that tugged sharply on his heart-strings. He only meant to place his hands in a bolstering, kingly sort of way on the child's shoulders, but found himself gathering the boy into his arms instead. His eyes met Valyre's over Cecil's head. He mouthed Cecil's question to the summoner. Valyre shook his head. Baron nodded, knowing that his old adventuring friend would correctly read the action as not only the acknowledgment of the information, but also a silent command to summon the Eidolon.

"It won't hurt," Baron told Cecil. "It will make things easier for you to bear. If I weren't so worried for you..."

"You, my-my liege?" Cecil pulled away from the king's embrace enough to meet his eyes. There was still sorrow in the child's gaze, and trepidation, instead of fear, but also surprise. "Why would you be worried about me?"

"Well now. One: your father entrusted you into my care. Two: you are my squire, soon to become one of my knights. Three: there is just something about you..." Baron petered off, not quite knowing how to express his thought. He was content governing and caring for his people from afar, but had never been comfortable letting anyone close. That he cared about Cecil, for Cecil's own sake, was a revelation to him.

"What could this poor child have seen that my power is needed?" A thin, translucent hand, deeply marked by wrinkles reached gently to cup Cecil's cheek. Baron had nearly forgotten that he had asked Valyre to summon the Eidolon, and darted a sharp glance into the being's face.

Lethe was aged – no ancient. Her face was as deeply wrinkled as her hand, and translucent as well, and there was an equally deep stillness about her. Baron wondered how old she was that this peaceful stillness clung to her. There was a sense of patient waiting about her. He wondered how long she had waited to be released from the last few pulses of life. Only then did he realize that she leaned upon Valyre for support. His old adventuring friend had crouched, supporting most of the Eidolon woman's weight, so that she could lean down to get a closer look at Cecil.

"Venerable one," Baron began, shifting Cecil in his arms to give him to her.

"No, please, hold him for me. I haven't the strength. It will take everything I have to cast the spell upon his mind. Oh?" She looked down, where her hand still rested upon Cecil's cheek, to find a tear tracing along her finger. "What is this? I will not use my power on one unwilling! I repeat, what has this child seen that losing his memory is the best and only thing for him?"

"It is not what he has seen, it is what he feels. His mother died giving birth to him. His father and brother are gone from him. He is, by cruel fate, left alone in this world. For the past year, he has been in my care, but he misses his family and he suffers greatly from their loss. My fear is that if he isn't given the touch of your gentle power, he will pine away from his sorrow." Baron didn't realize he tightened his hold on Cecil as he said this.

"I see. The Lunarian isn't able to do anything?" Lethe turned her head and stared at the gateway to the Sanctuary of Light.

"I would if I could, Lady Lethe," Kluya answered from within. "I am Cecil's father. Now he knows that I was slain, and while the knowledge that I never intended to leave him gives him momentary comfort, I can tell that he will not move forward with his own life encumbered by the sorrow my death and his brother's absence bring him. If there were any other way..."

"So those are the memories you wish me to take. Not of any horrid event, but of his family? What does that leave him in this world?"

"It leaves him me," Baron spoke up. "I have promised his father to raise him, and raise him well. I know, from my friend Valyre, that human society holds little meaning for Eidolons, but, I am a king. I will raise Cecil as if he were my own son."

"That is good. It would not be good to take the memories, as painful as they are, and leave him with nothing."

"Are you a strong man, summoner?" Lethe asked.

"What do you need?"

"I wish to borrow some of your strength, and add it to my feeble own. I will not take this boy's memories away–" Lethe raised one hand at Baron's immediate, inarticulate protest. "I will lock them in his mind, to be recalled at the proper time. I haven't the strength on my own to craft such an intricate memory spell, but with your help, I think I can manage it."

"You have whatever aid I can give you."

"Good." Lethe locked gazes with Baron again. "You will take my place, if not my power, in time, King of Baron." She nodded. "It is good for the young and vigorous to take up the reigns from the old and spent. Not every Eidolon has no care for or awareness of the human realm. For the boy to be the successor to the Spear King satisfies me well."

"What are you...?" Baron wondered what she meant even as something eerie shivered across his soul.

"I am not the only Eidolon with a touch of future-sight. It will all make sense to you, in due time." Lethe sighed deeply. "But, my time winds to an end. Let me give this child my gift of the balm of forgetfulness, and I can at long, long last, put down my burden, and rest." Lethe's left hand shook with the effort to extend it until Valyre clasped it in his own. He supported her slight weight in his arms as she reached forward again to place her palm against Cecil's forehead.

"Child of light, there will come a time when your memories, that I lock away from you now, will dawn again and spread awareness across your mind. By then, you will be older, certainly, but stronger as well, and wiser, and more able to accept the sorrow that harms you so deeply, now. I can see I will not be the only one adjusting and altering your memories – but, I am the only one who does this for solely your benefit, with no ulterior motive behind it."

"This will – help me?" Cecil dared to ask.

Lethe lifted her hand from his forehead, to meet his gaze straight on. "I promise. This is only to help you." Lethe's hand drifted down to the boy's right shoulder. She knew that just beneath her hand, a scar marked the place where a little more than a year ago, Cecil had been grievously wounded. "It hurt when Theodor stabbed you, right?" Cecil nodded. "But, when you father picked you up and healed you – that memory is closer, and brighter, right?" Cecil nodded again. "Bad memories are often the birthplaces for good ones. So many people summoned me to ask, command, or even compel me to take away their bad memories – never realizing that in so doing they were also sacrificing good ones. I won't do that to you. Someday, you will recall the pain and betrayal you felt when Theodor stabbed you, but you will also remember the joy and rush of love you felt when your father rescued and healed you."

"It wasn't so bad, after Father healed me. I was probably being too annoying to Theodor and that's why he lost his temper," Cecil whispered.

Lethe smiled. "A forgiving heart is a joy to everyone around it. You, Cecil, possess such a heart. There is darkness ahead for you, and more sorrow, but, in time, if you stay true to your heart, darkness and sorrow give way to light and joy. When you remember what I lock away from you now, promise me you will remember old Lethe, too? Think a kind thought for me, and surely your light letting me know that you forgive me for what I am about to do, will do something wonderful."

"I promise." Cecil nodded firmly. He found it hard to be scared when the old lady was looking at him so kindly. "What should I-I do? To help?" Baron's arms tightened around the boy again.

"He will sleep for a day or so after I am finished. Best to get him back to his room by then, perhaps tell him he was sick, but he's better now, to explain any fuzziness he might feel," Lethe told Baron. The king nodded. Lethe turned her attention back to Cecil.

"Close your eyes, and try not to worry." Cecil immediately closed his eyes. "It is only the memories of your father and brother that I'm-well, I'm putting them in a special vault in your mind, for safe-keeping, for you to find later on, when you are ready for them. Kain, Rosa, King Baron, Baigan, Cid – everyone else – you will remember all of them without any problem – and you won't feel so troubled and sad."

"You?" Cecil cracked one eye open to look impishly up at the old Eidolon.

"Scamp! You know you can't remember me, not until you are older and remember your brother and father again." Lethe stroked her right hand along softly Cecil's cheek belying her sharp, reproving statement. Cecil smiled then closed his eyes fully.

Lethe squeezed Valyre's hand tightly with her left. He immediately felt as though his magic were being tapped, almost as if he were summoning an Eidolon, even though he wasn't. It made him feel a bit woozy, but he locked himself in place and concentrated on maintaining his balance for both himself and Lethe, while permitting her to tap what she needed of his magical ability.

Under her left hand, Cecil sighed, and his features went lax, as if he were falling asleep. The king shifted Cecil until the sleeping boy was cradled in his arms. Baron and Valyre watched as strain appeared and disappeared from around his eyes. As Lethe worked, and the wince on the old Eidolon's face indicated it _was_ work, each episode of strain around Cecil's eyes lessened more and more easily and it took longer and longer for the next one to appear.

"That's-that's all-I can-do!" Lethe leaned away from Cecil and Baron, more fully into Valyre's stolid support. She indicated weakly that she wanted to stand. Valyre moved carefully, as Lethe, already weak when he first summoned her, seemed frighteningly frail, now.

"I can release you – send you back..."

"No, Valyre. My time is spent. Better to die here, where it will distress no one..." She turned her head weakly and smiled at Baron. He had not stopped cradling Cecil in his arms.

"Keep your promises, Spear King, both to the boy's father, and the Eidolon King and Queen. Not to mention, the promise your heart has made to the boy himself..." Lethe turned her attention back to the summoner. "I can stand on my own, Valyre. I can see why Cobalt has always spoken so highly of you..."

Valyre's supporting hands dropped in his surprise. "Cobalt? You know him? But, I thought he was one of the Lunarian Eidolons!"

"He is." Lethe smiled. Her features began to soften and flow, like water. "As was I. Farewell!" Gravity abruptly pulled her to the ground.

Baron and Valyre stared with open-mouthed wonder at the small splash of water that was all that was left of Lethe.

"She was wrong..." Valyre muttered.

"How so?"

"About how her death here would distress no one."

Baron nodded. Lethe had been a feisty old woman. Giving, too. Forcing him to explain why he wanted her gift for Cecil forced him to face his own feelings of affection for the boy. He couldn't adopt Cecil as his son – so Cecil couldn't be a prince of Baron, but, that didn't mean he couldn't treat Cecil as a prince – and his son. Lethe's glimpse of future-sight seemed to indicate that Cecil would succeed him as king. Baron was more than pleased at the idea.

"And it's just so sad that Cecil isn't allowed to remember his own father!" Valyre exclaimed.

"No. It's-how it-has to be," Kluya's voice was tired and slow.

"Kluya?" Baron asked, turning toward the entrance to the Sanctuary of Light.

"I tried-to help-Lady Lethe-too..."

"Idiot!"

"I will-be okay... Just have-to-rest..."

"Baron, I'm tapped out from that anyway. Get young Cecil home, and settled. I'm going to curl up and take a nap to recover. I'll make certain Kluya doesn't do anything else that's stupid, and drop by the castle, casual-like, in a few days," Valyre offered.

Baron nodded, then turned to pick his way down the mountain again, this time with Cecil sleeping in his arms.

A few days later, Valyre did indeed stop by Castle Baron, 'casual-like' to see how Cecil was doing. The change was remarkable. Gone was the gaunt sorrow around his eyes. Baron indulgently told Valyre that now he had his health back, Cecil seemed determined to eat him out of house and home. Valyre told him that, as far as he could tell, Kluya, or what was left of him anyway, was okay, but he couldn't get his old adventuring friend to talk anymore. He could sense the strange force that Kluya seemed to have become from the structure at the top of the mountain, and it seemed as strong as it was when he first encountered it, but Kluya didn't respond to questions.

"He must have tapped whatever power he has too deeply during that ordeal," Valyre concluded. "Such a sad fate for one who didn't deserve it!"

"I think – perhaps he is conserving his strength. Despite everything that happened, Kluya wants nothing more than to help his son," Baron observed.

"Cecil?" Valyre shrugged. "But, he did that already – or as much as can be done. Cecil seems to be regaining his health and doing well, now."

"His other son," Baron clarified.

"Hmm. I can't say I understand that," Valyre replied. Each sat silent with his own thoughts for many long minutes. "Well, I'm going to abuse your hospitality for a few days, then head back to Mist."

"You are always welcome here, my friend."

Valyre winked, and grinned. "I know. Gonna go and help Cecil make inroads into your larder!"

Baron groaned and dropped his head into his right hand theatrically, while waving his friend away with his left one.

* * *

Author's note –

Wow, that wound up being about twice as long as I anticipated. Lethe was supposed to show up, whammy Cecil's memory, melt away (did anyone get the idea she was more or less made of water?) and that would be that. Nope, she wanted to hang around a bit and give Baron a few strange hints as to his own eventual fate.

Next Chapter: Chapter Four – Cecil – Rising Light


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four – Cecil – Rising Light**

Cecil's trials, tribulations, and triumphs have been detailed far more evocatively, adroitly, and completely by masterful hands elsewhere, still, his is a tale that can never be dimmed by retelling.

Cecil had no reliable memory of who he was or who his family had been from his youngest days. He had been found abandoned outside Castle Baron. The king of Baron took pity on the orphaned boy and raised Cecil as if he were his own child. During this time Cecil met Kain, whose mother and father, who was the commander of Baron's Royal Dragoons, had passed away, and who was also being raised to adulthood in the castle. He met Rosa, who lived with her mother in the nearby city, as well. The three became fast friends.

Cecil's loyalty to his king was extraordinarily deep – deep enough for Cecil to take up the shadowed sword and dread skills of a Dark Knight at his king's command. His unquestioning obedience earned him the command of the Red Wings, Baron's elite airship forces, as its Lord Captain. It also led him to stain his dark blade with innocent blood during the massacre at Mysidia.

Unable to reconcile these commands with the just and gentle king he had known as he would know his own father, Cecil naturally sought answers from his king.

He was rebuffed, stripped of his command, and given one chance to redeem himself in his king's favor.

The final betrayal of that king – discovering that his king had used him to unwittingly instigate a second massacre, this time of a small town called Mist, severed Cecil's ties with the bloodthirsty goals of the Kingdom of Baron and sent him wandering and searching.

Searching for answers.

Searching for purpose.

Searching, ultimately, for himself.

Along the way, saving the world.

Many people were drawn to the young man during this quest, somehow able to sense the gentle and suffering soul under the fearsome armor and shadowed skill of the Dark Knight.

Cecil experienced a transformation – a rebirth – actually becoming for the first time the sort of hero he was destined to be. It was only later, after he discovered his true nature, that he realized the light that had guided his lost and weary soul to the state of becoming a holy knight, a Paladin, had once been his father.

It is simple to think that Cecil's activities after that encounter were inspired by his new nature, but he had held the light of his true calling, albeit in a hidden way, before his outward appearance matched the true yearnings of his heart.

He suffered many shocks along the path of destiny, perhaps the most puzzling and pain-filled being the multiple betrayals by his best friend, Kain, that created a division unfortunately existing between the friends to this very day. Cecil has forgiven Kain, but Kain has been unable to forgive himself.

Cecil bore witness to many sorrows affecting those drawn to aid him in his quest. He discovered not only his true nature, but also that of his hated enemy. That discovery shook his resolve, for he learned that Golbez was his very own brother. Even more incredible than that, both were half-human through their mother, but both were also half-Lunarian – as their father was of the people of the errant moon that hovered watchfully over the world of their birth.

He earned not only the fullness of his lady's love but the loyalty of the kingdom that had once, under evil influence, labeled him a traitor. His lady Rosa at his side as queen, he ruled over Baron with the same just and sympathetic understanding the true king of Baron had. With the exception of three painfully empty spots in his heart, Cecil was content.

The holes filled with regret and 'might have beens' each bore a name.

Kain.

Golbez.

Kluya.

* * *

Author's notes –

Next chapter: Chapter Five – Golbez – Spreading Darkness, Despairing Dusk


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